It is known to utilize heating sources on either side of a meat or other food which has been carried between two heating sources by a conveyer as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 440,071.
Also U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,539 shows that it is known to pass meat on skewers on a chain drive between opposed heating elements. The prior art generally discloses devices for cooking food products, primarily meats, which travel on a conveying device in ovens which heat and cook the food product from either side thereof.
However, this known prior art as exemplified by the two patents mentioned above and the patents listed in the information disclosure statement included with this application do not disclose devices for rapidly cooking food products at high temperatures in which the food products travel between radiant heating elements on either side of a horizontal path of travel of the food products and in which the food products may be rapidly cooked. Nor does the known prior art as previously mentioned disclose any device for incinerating the byproducts of the cooking process, namely grease, smoke particles and contaminants prior to exhaust from the cooking device.
Accordingly the present invention provides a new and improved cooking method in which the food products are continuously passed between heating elements on either side thereof which provide radiant heat at very high temperatures to quickly cook the food in a matter of minutes or less and in which the cooking device is so designed that the smoke with contaminants therein due to the cooking process rise through a high temperature area which incinerates the contaminants in the smoke resulting from cooking and exhausts essentially clean air from the cooking device.
An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method for rapidly cooking food products at high temperature.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved cooking method which includes means for incinerating the contaninants in smoke and grease resulting from the cooking of the food products.
A further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved method for cooking foods in which the food products may be continuously cooked at uniform temperature while traveling in a linear horizontal path between an insertion point and a drop off point.